Sandstorm
by Stefxtastic
Summary: Sakura is sent on a mission to Sand and finds that the Gaara that she thought she knew was more than just a little different from the nightmare that she remembered.
1. Chapter 1

**Sandstorm**

**A/N: This is my second fic and my first Gaara/Sakura but I'm pretty excited about it! :) Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.**

Chapter 1

It had been many years since Sakura had played a part in bringing the Sand ninja back from the dead but she still woke up in a cold sweat on night like tonight.

Slowly crawling out of bed she went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water.

She could still remember it like it was yesterday. Her battle with Sasori had left her with a scar on her stomach she refused to heal as a reminder of her mortality, and a scar on her heart that she doubted would ever fade.

Sakura had always feared the infamous Gaara of the Desert, but in that moment as she watched Chiyo-baasama pouring her life giving chakra into the Kazekage's lifeless body she no longer feared.

She knew what kind of terrible wrath he possessed but after that terrible day she could no longer look at him and see the monster, just the man who bled just as she did and who had died in battle as she knew she someday would.

Sighing deeply at her thoughts she decided that trying to return to sleep would no doubt be a fruitless endeavor, so instead she decided to pour over her numerous medical scrolls that she had tasked herself.

In the morning she would be sent out on a solo mission to the Sand village to help them rebuild their medical unit. The Fourth Great Shinobi War had completely annihilated the brunt of the Sand Village's medical corps and so as a gesture of good faith between the villages Sakura had been elected to spend the next 6 months in Sand helping to train new medic ninjas.

She was a little afraid to face the stoic Kazekage since she had only seen him briefly during the war and he was busy with his duties and had little time for chit chat.

Putting her thoughts behind her she went about reading and rereading the scrolls before her. She was confident that she would be more than adequate to train willing ninja, but her confidence faltered a bit as her thoughts turned to a familiar face and lifeless green eye that were so different from her own.

She should have expected her three day journey to Sand to be bothersome, but she didn't account for every ninja outpost between here and Sand to be closed down. Apparently there were so many casualties from the war that outpost to friendly territories had been closed in an effort to conserve forces. They had won the war, but Akatsuki had won enough of the battle that the after effects would be felt for decades. Sakura suddenly felt guilty for her behavior. _"I should just be glad that we won and I am alive. I lost so many friends and comrades and here I am pissed because I don't get to sleep in a cushy bed."_ She shrugged off the sadness that had enveloped her at the thought of her fallen friends. "I guess I will just have to move faster so I get there before nightfall", she said to no one.

Sakura let a small smile play across her face as she spotted the village in the distance. _"Ah, I never thought I would be so happy to see the Sand village."_ Just a few more minutes of running and she was approaching the gate.

The man who was guarding the gate looked up at her and then nodded when he saw her headband and widely pink hair.

"Hello Sakura-sama. I don't believe that the Kazekage was expecting you to arrive until tomorrow. I will have word sent to him at once. Until then please have a seat inside and make yourself at home."

_"Sakura-sama?"_ Sakura knew that after the war was over many people in the leaf had declared that Naruto, Sasuke, and herslef to be the next generation of Sannin but she hadn't realized that word of her elevated status had left the village. _"That's going to take some getting use to." _

She entered the small room next to the gate and decided that the first this she needed was a drink and a shower. Luckily this room was prepared so that visiting shinobi could make themselves presentable before meeting with the Kazekage. She knew it was slightly vain but she always felt more confident after a hot shower.

Gulping down a rather large glass of water she set off into the small bathroom and turned on the shower. Locking the door behind her she turned on the water and stepped in while it was still cold.

Several minutes later she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body while searching for her extra set of clothes to change into. Instantly she realized that she had forgotten to bring her bag in the room with her so she opened the door to retrieve it.

"Well, well well. Be still my beating heart" The voice that spoke was deep and full of mirth.

Sakura turned to see who spoke but she was sure she knew before even seeing. "Kankuro! Temari! How wonderful to see you!" Modesty forgotten she immediately threw herself at the two for a warm hug.

"Uhm Sakura?"

"Yes Kankuro?"

"I think you dropped your towel..."

Kakuro was still chuckling to himself as the three walked to the Kazekage tower. _"Well I who would have thought that little Sakura was such a bombshell?",_ Kankuro thought to himself.

Sakura left her two companions in the hall and entered the Kazekage's office. She saw the man standing by the window looking out over the village below. She felt something twist in her gut that she couldn't figure out so instead she shook it off and began.

"Kazekage-sama, as you know I have been sent by the Hokage to help to train your new medical ninja. Hokage-sama has given me 6 months to accomplish this. Also I was asked to deliver this scroll to you." She handed him the scroll and watched as he opened and began to read.

She heard a chuckled and that knot in her belly grew stronger. _"Did he really just laugh? I don't believe I have ever heard him laugh while not in bloodlust... it's pleasant, calming even. I think I quiet like it. Wait, where did that thought come from?"_ She quickly turned her attention back to the man before her.

"I see that Naruto is still his obnoxious old self? I'm glad he has achieved his dream. He will be a great Hokage, and interesting Hokage, but still great." Gaara could not contain the smile that had set on his face at reading the words that his old friend had sent to him. Naruto was the first person to ever believe in him and he would forever be in his debt. Without the yellow haired goofball he would have never come off of the dark path he had been treading. He would have never earned the respect of his people and therefore would never have been Kazekage. Yes he owed a great deal to the man and he would do his best to live up to that gift.

Sakura realized that she was staring at him with her mouth open and quickly snapped it shut. _"Thank God he was too busy to notice!"_

"Please make yourself at home while you are here and don't be afraid to ask should you need something. Since you are staying here for half a year I have decided to have you stay in one of the rooms here in the tower. Your room is located in the same wing as the family rooms which are west of here. I will have Kankuro show you around and you may begin your work tomorrow." Gaara reached down and pressed a button on the side of his desk and a few moments later the door was opened to reveal the puppet master.

"Hey Sakura, our rooms are right across the hall from one another. Any chance I can take a peak of your... uhm.. _as_sest again?"

Sakura paled at the words and shot Kankuro a look that promised retaliation.

Gaara raised and eyebrow at the exchange and wondered what exactly his brother had meant by that. Clearly there were undertones that Gaara himself was not catching, and clearly the pink haired kunoichi was not amused at the thought. "Kankuro explain."

Kankuro looked pleased with himself as he began to tell his story. "Well you see. Sakura had just gotten out of the shower when Temari and I showed up and she went to hug us and dropped her towel. Let me just say that she has a really nice..." Kankuro never finished his sentence before the small fist crashed into his ribs. He knew she hadn't used the full force of her strength or he wouldn't be here but it still hurt like hell.

"It was nothing Kazekage-sama just an accident." Sakura could almost feel the embarrassment rolling off of her in waves. She shouldn't have punched Kankuro. She was a guest in this village and his brother was the Kazekage, but dammit it felt good! _"Serves the bastard right!"_

"I see." With that Gaara turned and strode toward the window. Not quiet sure what to make of the feeling that had just begun inside him at the thought of his brother seeing the woman behind him naked. _"What is this odd feeling? Surely Temari will know. I shall ask her after dinner."_ He didn't bother to dismiss the two behind him, his actions had made it obvious.

Sakura practically dragged Kankuro out of the room and started tearing into him the moment the door was closed, "You ASS! Why would you say that in front of your brother! You know he barely likes me as it is and now he probably thinks I am some secret exhibitionist!"

"Aww come on Sakura! I was only teasing. It's not like I was going to draw him a picture or anything. Although..."

**SLAP**

"Don't you even think about it you sick pervert!" She was prepared to dish out another slap but the puppet master look subdued, for now. "Now show me to my room before I murder another puppet freak!"

Behind the door Gaara had heard ever word and he couldn't help but chuckle. That in itself was not extraordinary. Gaara had changed a lot since having the one tailed beast removed from his body. He was much calmer, more focused, and even friendly sometimes. People still cowered when he was angry, which was actually more rare than his friendly moments, but he also knew that he had the respect and _love_ of his people. He absentmindedly touched the kanji on his forehead and wondered what it would feel like to be loved in a different way, but he quickly put such thoughts aside. Not that much had changed. He knew that he would never have love in that sense. The only woman who wasn't afraid of him was his sister, and he shuddered to think of the poor bastard who ended up with her. Shikamaru was a genius, but all of the intelligence in the world wouldn't help against her mood swings.

Gaara found himself thinking about a certain pink haired woman sporadically throughout the rest of the day. By the time dinner came around he had less patients than he would have like and found himself snipping at people who didn't deserve it.

Sakura rounded the corner and found the table she had been told she would be dinning at. She hadn't expected to be seated with the family but she was an honored guest after all. She also had expected to find Gaara at the head of the table since his position was the most elevated, but she was pleased to notice that he sat in the middle next to Kankuro. Opposite the pair sat Temari who motioned for Sakura to join the seat beside her. She did so happily and began to engage the two older siblings in light conversation.

Gaara sat across from the pink hair woman and tried his hardest not to stare. _" Who has pink hair anyways? Such a stupid color"_

Sakura looked up to Gaara and noticed his brooding face. _"This is more like the Gaara I remember"_ She wondered why she suddenly felt sad at the thought of him not being the happy man she had seen a few hours before, but her thoughts quickly died at the words he spoke next.

"Pink is a such an ugly color." He hadn't realized he spoke out-loud until he heard the silence that permeated the room. Gaara looked around quickly and saw the horrified looked on his siblings faces and realized their train of thought. They both knew that this particular kunoichi was known for her short temper and they were afraid that she would retaliate and then Gaara would hurt her. He wouldn't hurt her, but when he looked up to her face to gauge her reaction he almost wished she would. He could see the hurt written across her face as if there were letters there telling him what she felt.

Sakura couldn't understand why the words he spoke had hurt so badly. What did she care if he didn't like her appearance? But she realized that she did care and that made it hurt even more. She quickly made a few short hand-signs and noticed that both Temari and Kankuro hand reached for their surriken pouch just in case she became volatile. She had no intention of hurting anyone and instead finished the seals and started her henge. Pink faded into strawberry blond and Sakura's henge began to work.

"I am sorry that my hair offended you Kazekage-sama. Please excuse me." Without another word she quietly removed herself from the table and retreated to her room. She threw herself onto the bed and cried. For the first time in years she sobbed, though she had no idea why.

"What the hell was that about Gaara?" Temari felt like throttling her little brother. "How could you be so insensitive? She is our _guest_!"

Gaara didn't know what to make of the situation. He had never meant to hurt her feelings and he wondered what made him say his thoughts out-loud. Temari was right, he was being insensitive. He should go up there and apologize right now for his words and hope she wasn't too hurt. Before he had the chance however he saw his brother get up and walk towards the door.

"Don't worry. I will see to her."

Gaara suddenly felt that feeling again when he saw how confident Kankuro was that he could placate the woman. _"This is going to be a long 6 months"_ Gaara thought to himself.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Please review. If you don't let me know what you think I can't improve as a writter! :)****  
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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to read this, and a BIG thank you to the people who have liked/favorited and reviewed! :)**

Chapter 2

Sakura felt a familiar chakra signature approaching and she snapped her head around to look at the intruder. "Apparently none of you Sand men posses a shred of manners. There is a door to this room, when it is closed you knock!" She gave the puppet master a look that told an unspoken warning. Then without thinking she picked up the pillow that she had moments before being crying into and threw it.

Kankuro never thought that getting hit with a pillow would hurt. He was wrong. She threw it with such force that the pillow exploded and down feathers rained down on his head.

The picture it painted was ridiculous really and the two started laughing together.

Kankuro's eyes narrowed as he stains on the pink haired medics cheeks. "Sakura, where you crying?"

"NO!" she sniffled. "I just haven't gotten use to this climate and my eyes were watering." She knew that the lie would never be believed but she didn't care.

"Sakura you can't take what he says to heart. He is still catching up on the whole 'human interaction' thing and sometimes he puts his foot in his mouth." Kankuro thought that the woman that lay beside him was beautiful even when tear stained, but he decided that he better just keep his mouth shut.

Sitting beside her on the bed he pulled her into a quick hug.

Sakura looked up into his eyes and realized what a good friend she had in Kankuro. He would make being here bearable and she would just have to try her hardest to stay away from the Kazekage, "_Since he finds me so repulsive."_

Kankuro couldn't help himself as he reached up and pulled a strand of hair away from her head. "I personally love the color pink" With that he left the room.

Sakura wondered a little at his forward behavior. _"He is just trying to make me feel better most likely."_ Strangely she didn't feel better at all. Gaara's words still stung and now she was creeped out by the puppet masters actions.

_

Gaara looked up at Temari and wondered if he should ask about the feels that he was suddenly experiencing when he was around Sakura. He had just opened his mouth to speak when an angry looking Kankuro came back to the table.

Kankuro did not sit down. In stead he stood behind the chair that the pink haired woman sat in only moments ago. "Listen here Gaara. Whatever reason you had to hurt her like that you better just knock it the fuck off. She has enough stress to deal with rebuilding our medical unit pretty much from scratch and I am not going to let your piss poor behavior affect her anymore. She saved my life, and if it hadn't been for her your body would be lying in some shallow grave by that Akatsuki base so I suggest you put whatever problems you have with her aside because I'm not going to stand by and watch you treat her like shit. And if you ever make her cry like that again I will personally kick your ass."

By the end of his speech Kankuro was white knuckled as he gripped the seat before him. He had never spoken to Gaara this way and a part of him was afraid of the retaliation. Even without the demon inside him Gaara was a force to be reckoned with and as the Kazekage Kankuro knew Gaara could make his life hell for a long time to come.

Gaara couldn't help the swelling of pride he felt at his brother for standing up to him. Then another thought came to him. Gaara had made her cry. He wasn't quiet sure why such a small insult would make the woman cry, but he knew that he didn't want to be responsible for her tears. The thought that she had wept because of some backhanded comment that he had made _"A comment I didn't even mean."_ made him suddenly angry with himself.

"Kankuro, I didn't mean for my words to hurt her. Honestly I don't even know why I said them since they aren't actually true. I mean to make it up to her." Gaara stood up and headed for Sakura's room.

Both Temari and Kankuro looked at their younger brother with open mouths. Kankuro spoke first. "I think you should just leave her alone. You made it clear that you find her beneath you and seeing you would just make her more anxious.

Kankuro's words were like a knife. Did he really make her feel those things? He had never really paid much attention to the woman it was true, but did he really lord over her like she was nothing? His face reflected the inner torment he felt and he turned away so that the scrutiny he felt directed at him from his brother and sister would dissipate.

"I don't feel like she is beneath me at all. She is kind and gentle and she cares when she shouldn't. She is the best medic ninja in the world and her strength rivals that of gods. She is beautiful inside and out and if anything I am beneath her. I will make it up to her somehow so she doesn't feel unwelcome." Gaara shifted his gaze back to his brother and he eyed him dangerously. "Oh and Kankuro... stay away from her. The last thing she needs is for your womanizing ass to play her a fool." Without so much as a single hand-sign Gaara vanished in a cloud of Sand. 

Temari could barely believe the last 20 minutes of her life were real. Living here had certianly kept her on her toes. And now this exchange had left her with the feeling that more was going on between Kankuro and Gaara than _defending_ the honor of Sakura. It was almost like watching two dogs fight over scraps. Temari was sure that Gaara would never develop romantic feelings for anyone after spending most of his life feeding the need to kill, but one thing was for sure, her dear stoic brother Gaara was jealous, and so was Kankuro. _"Well this could get ugly.."_

**A/N: I know this chapter was shorter but the main thing I was trying to show with this one is that Kankuro is perfectly aware that he has some feeling for Sakura, and Sakura and Gaara are both oblivious to the fact that they have feelings for each other. Also I wanted to show that even though Kankuro is generally subservient to his brother he refuses to back down when it comes to Sakura, but is it for the reasons you think? Hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry this one took a little longer to get out. For some reason my open office documents wont load on my computer so I had to use my husband's computer to do this chapter.**

Chapter 3

The next morning Sakura awoke to the sight of fresh white cala lilies sitting next to her bed. She wondered about how long she would survive as a ninja if she continued to sleep so deeply but decided that could be worried about another day.

Calla lilies were her absolute favorite flower but only a very few people knew that. Most people thought that because of her hair she would like cherry blosoms, which she did, but no flower was more beautiful than the simple clean lines that made a calla lily.

There was no card with the flowers so she assumed that they were a gift left by one of the maids. If she had known that a certain sand wielding Kage had remembered from years ago that they were her favorite, tracked down the only person in Sand who grew them, and placed them beside her while she was sleeping, she might have thought differently of him upon waking. As it was when her thoughts turned to the redhead she almost grimaced at the fact that he had brought an old part of her that she had long thought gone out into the open.

He made her remember what it had been like to be madly in love, or so she thought, with one Sasuke Uchiha. She had felt so stupid all those years ago when she realized that not only did Sasuke not love her, but he thought that she was worthless as a shinobi. _"Thank goodness what I feel for Gaara is just a silly little crush. I mean at least I'm not in love with him!"_ For some reason the words didn't exactly ring true in her head and she didn't know what to think about the thought.

Luckily she didn't have time to think because at that very moment Kankuro bust through the door. "Good morning beautiful." He said with a lazy smile.

"Kankuro you are incorrigible! I distinctly remember asking you to knock before barging in my room…" She couldn't help but smile. She liked Kankuro. Not in a romantic way at all, but something about him made her feel like she didn't grow up as an only child.

He gave her a lazy smile that would rival one of Kakashi's half lidded gazes and tossed something at her. "Here is your uniform for the hospital. Me personally I would like to see a bit shorter of a skirt, but these things can't be helped. Get dressed and I will walk you to work."

"Thank you for bringing this. I hate not looking professional so this will be perfect." She grabbed the bundle and strode off into the bathroom.

Kankuro walked over to the bed and looked closely at the flowers. The very first thing he noticed was that the vase they were sitting in was one that his mother use to use to place flowers in her bedroom. _"Damn he is good. I didn't even know anyone grew flowers around here. Guess I will just have to be on my toes."_ Just then the room seemed to take on a slightly chilly feeling and Kankuro turned to see black rimmed, seafoam green eyes staring at him from the doorway.

"What are you doing in Sakura's room Kankuro?" Gaara felt his heart jump into his lungs at seeing his brother in Sakura's bed. _"What if? What if they slept together?"_ Gaara didn't like the idea that something like that would affect him so strongly. He was starting to suspect that the unnameable feelings he was getting was actually jealousy. _"If the thought of the two of them sharing a bed makes me jealous than logically that can only mean one thing. I have feelings of the romantic nature for Sakura._" Saying that he had a **crush** made him feel childish and girly but he was starting to think that's exactly what it was.  
Kankuro knew exactly what his position would look like to an outsider. It looked like he had just woken in Sakura's bed. By the way the sheets looked scattered about (courtesy of Sakura's tossing and turning into the wee hours of the morning) it looked like they had shared a night of passion. Kankuro knew exactly the emotion that had played on his brothers face and it made him want to laugh. Gaara had never been one to fall prey to something as petty as jealousy. _"Oh how the mighty have fallen dear brother!"_

"Well. As much as I would like to confirm the thoughts you obviously have regarding why I am here. I actually just came by to walk Sakura to work." Kankuro wanted to tease his brother a bit more, but at that point Sakura had come out of the bathroom.

"Kankuro thank you again for bringing me- oh… my apologies Kazekage-sama." Without another word she performed the hinge that would hide the color of her hair. Eyes downcast in shame she waited for Gaara to say whatever he had come to say.

Gaara saw her perform the henge and his heart felt sad. _"Did I hurt her so much?"_ He felt awful for how much his callous words had affected her, but why? Why did she care so much what he thought? _"Could she possibly have some sort of feelings for me as well?"_ Gaara knew that if he was going to find out then he would have to do some serious damage control.

"Miss Haruno, please don't take to heart what I said last night. Those words were spoken at out of annoyance that was not your fault and to be honest I didn't mean them. I apologize for the unwanted stressed this might have caused you but please don't feel the need to cover your natural hair color from me. While I will admit that pink is an odd color for hair I could not imagine you with any other color. It suits you in the perfect way."

Sakura could feel a blush forming on her cheeks as she released the henge. "As you wish Kazekage-sama."

Kankuro knew he was treading on thin ice with his brother but he couldn't help it. He wanted Sakura to end up with a man who would love her, who could take care of her while recognizing that she would also take care of that person.

His plan was working perfectly and now that he had Temari on his side there would be no doubt of his success. He never knew when he had decided to make Gaara fall in love with the kunoichi how easy it would be. He guessed it would only be a matter of time before Gaara's feelings of lust turned into something deeper if they hadn't already.

Kankuro briefly felt bad about meddling in his brother's love life, but he had decided almost from the minute he awoke from his poison induced coma all those years ago that the beautiful pink haired woman might be the only woman on the planet who could love Gaara the way he deserved. He has thought out his plan long ago to make Gaara jealous so that he would fall for the woman, but because of the war he had had to wait longer than he had anticipated to put his plan into action.

When he had told Temari of his plans last night he could see how relieved she was. She had thought that her brothers where both falling for the same woman and she would have to bury the loser. Her relief at the news of Kankuro's schemes had been nearly palpable. Now that he had her on his side he knew it was only a matter of time before Gaara made his move. He just hoped it was sooner rather than later so he could resume his own love life. Having a long distance girlfriend was hard enough, and having it be a secret was even harder, but when that woman was as opinionated and obstinate as Ino Yamanaka things could get sticky fast.

Getting up and crossing the large bedroom Kankuro leaned down and kissed Sakura on the cheek briefly and asked if she was ready to go.

To say that the exchange surprised Sakura would be an understatement. She knew that Kankuro was a flirt but he had never really paid her any attention before. She wondered what had come over him but before she could ask she found that he was no longer standing in front of her. Her eyes searched and when she finally located the puppet master she almost gasped. He was currently pinned to the wall by a cloud of sand and the wielder of said sand was standing in the doorway growling. Sakura knew that some of the animalistic tendencies that Gaara exhibited were from his long relationship with his former demon, but it still unnerved her to see it displayed.

Sakura didn't have time to react before she too was pressed against a wall, but it wasn't sand holding her in place, it was Gaara. His eyes were angry as his mouth covered hers and his kissed the breath from her lips.

"Mine." Gaara could hardly think and before he knew it he had pulled Sakura's shirt aside at the neck and bit into the soft flesh where her neck met her shoulder. He felt her wince beneath him and it snapped him back to reality.

"Oh my God Sakura, I am so sorry. I have no idea what came over me." Gaara was panting so hard from the lust he was barely able to control and it was made harder by the sight of blood coming from the small wound he had left on her neck. "Please forgive me." He started to turn from the room to leave her but a small hand snaked up to catch his wrist before he could make his exit.

"Oh no, where do you think you're going?" Sakura didn't care that Kankuro was still in the room, she didn't care that Gaara had just torn her flesh with his teeth because at that moment she knew what she had to, no **needed** to do. She pulled his body flush with her own and reached her free hand up to tangle in the hair at the nape of his neck. "I don't know what that was about, but I intend to find out."

Without another word she kissed him.

**A/N: Hopefully you liked this one. To everyone who though Kankuro was in love with Sakura, GOTCHA! Don't forget to review so I know how I am doing! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**A/N: Hope you liked the last chapter! **

Kankuro felt the sand slowly release his body and he smiled at his handiwork. He knew that those two would hit it off and this whole matchmaking business would work. He left Sakura's room and intended find Temari as soon as possible and update her on what had happened. _"Then I will probably take a mission to Leaf so I can see my own woman and tell her how our plan had worked"._

"Miss Haruno, you are going to be late." Gaara didn't want the kiss to end but he knew that they both had other obligations and he was getting a little more bothered than he cared to admit. "I'm not sure what is going on between us, but we will have to figure it out later. Duty calls."

"You're right, if I don't get going soon I'm going to be late" Sakura couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice. She moved away from the man, gathered her belongings and left the room.

Gaara knew he was right to stop what was going on. He couldn't let anything progress between them. He had no intention of settling down any time soon and he had to much respect for Naruto to treat the mans best friend like a one night stand. He knew that he was devoloping feelings for the pink haired kunoichi, but he was no fool. Gaara would never be able to love another person in the way she needed. He was too broken. True his brother and sister had allowed him to learn what love was and he loved them both very dearly, but the love between siblings was different. It was calm and rational and he didn't know how he reached this conclusion, but he knew that **love** with the woman in question would be anything but.

Sakura could feel the eyes of her students growing with amusement as she proceeded to tell them her most embarrassing moment as a medic. It was a good ice breaker so that she could show them that she was, despite her reputation as a ninja and a medic, human. She told them of a time that she had given a civilian patient of hers a physical exam and he had become aroused, only to be kindly reminded by the medic that she was in fact his cousin and not at all interested. She smiled at the thought of her family.

Her parents had died a year before the war began, but the rest of her family had not escaped the trials of war. They had left the village before the war began. Afraid of being associated with Leaf should the war be lost. They were in one of the villages laid to waste by the giant 10 tailed demon. Sakura shuddered to think that she was literally the only person left in what was once a rather large family.

Returning her attention to her students she reached into her kunai holster and grabbed one of her weapons. She then stabbed herself in the stomach, careful to miss her enternal organs should her student be less than adapt. And watched the chaos ensue. "Now, show me who is worth being here." She slumped back onto her desk. Luckily several of her students rushed to her and went about deciding the best course of action. One student whom she recognized as Kyo stood out and began giving orders.

"You, fetch some bandages and come back quick. I will begin to heal her the rest of you be ready to take my place should I run out of chakra." Jaw set the man began his work. He turned to his teacher. "How did you know that any of us knew the basics of healing?"

"I didn't" Sakura was proud to see one of the future medics take charge of the situation and she soon decided that this man would be in charge once she left. "Congrats Kyo, you just became my second in command. Well done taking charge and handling the situation calmly." turning to address the rest of her students, "all of you who rushed to help and took directions congrats to you as well. You passed the first test. To those of you who stayed in their seats afraid of what to do I am sorry but we have no need for you here. You may leave."

Gaara stood in the hallway outside of the classroom that Sakura was occupying. He had come to ask if she needed assistance and was enjoying her lecture until the moment that she had stabbed herself. He knew she wasn't stupid and that she had a reason for doing what she did, but when he saw her blood run to the floor he had to stop himself from running in to care for her himself.

He saw a young man step forward and take charge and Gaara was glad for it, but he noticed the man had not stopped holding on to Sakura once his healing chakra was done. Gaara stiffened once again as he could feel the familiar hint of jealousy (yes he had finally decided with certainty that jealousy was what he was feeling). He opened the door of the classroom and strode in.

He could here everyone in the room bowing and welcoming him, everyone except the pink hair kunoichi and the man who was still holding her. "Sakura are you alright?" placing his hand on the woman's shoulder possessively he could see the man beside him raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Kyo decided that he should probably let go of the beautiful woman in his arms. If he wasn't mistaken the look in his Kazekage's eyes told him that Sakura belonged to _him. _Kyo was a handsome man, but he wasn't stupid. If the Kazekage had laid claim to her then the battle was lost before it began.

Sakura was quiet during dinner. It didn't pass by her notice how possessive Gaara had been earlier today on two separate instances. _"Was the great Kazekage.. jealous?"_ Sakura knew that he found her attractive. The kiss earlier today had proven that, but jealousy implied something more than just appreciating her appearance. Two things would make a person jealous like that. He either lusted after her or he loved her. She laughed to herself at the thought of the second one. Gaara was no monster like she had believed as a child, but love?

"So.. Kankuro tells me things."

"Shut up Temari." Gaara was in no mood to have this discussion. He had decided that whatever was going on with Sakura had to end. More than likely she was just reaching out to someone since she was still grieving over the many lost comrades in the war. The only problem with his plan was that it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted so much to be different, to be capable of the love that he so craved for himself.

"_No, I can't do that to her, she needs so much more than I could give her."_

No matter how hard he tried to stop himself from looking at her he kept finding her in the center of his gaze. _"She has to know how badly she is affecting me. I have never seen someone so beautiful". _

Excusing himself from the table Gaara found his feet were leading him on a familiar path. He knew that he would be hard pressed to keep himself away from her so he decided to just ignore her.

Gaara sat on top of the tower that overlooked the village. _His _village. He felt his heart swell with pride and allowed the emotion to be played on his face. Even though Gaara was no longer haunted by the threat of the beast within he still found it difficult to sleep, even on perfect nights like tonight sleep eluded him. He had made it a habit long ago to come here to watch over the village during the night. Some nights he meditated, others he simply sat. Tonight he decided to attempt the former and began to relax his body for the meditation he would perform.

"Oh sorry, I thought you would be sleeping..." Sakura felt a blush creeping up on her cheeks. She couldn't believe that he would be here. Either she had the best luck or the worst. After all of the mixed signals she had gotten from him today she decided that she should probably just lay her cards on the table and tell him what was on her mind. "Listen Kazek.. uh Gaara. I like you. Probably silly on my part but that kiss felt like more than just a little kiss to me. If you don't feel anything like that for me that's okay, but I just wanted you to know that I really, really like you." Sakura stared for a moment. When he didn't say anything after a full minute she decided that that was a good enough answer _"Well I guess I read into it waaaaay to much."_ feeling more than a little foolish for being so forward she turned to leave.

Gaara could not believe the words he had just heard. _"She likes me?"_ He felt like everything clicked into place at that moment and he knew that even if it turned out that he couldn't love, he wanted to give it his best to try. He looked up and saw her exiting the roof. _"How long have I just been standing here?"_ He panicked and did what came to him first. He loosed his sand and wrapped it around her. He slowly brought her back to him and set her down right in front of him.

For a breif moment Sakura felt her heart stop as the sand wrapped around her. When she was just 12 years old this sand had been wrapped around her in a very different manner. Back then Gaara had been under the influence of his demon and had wrapped his sand around her with the intent to kill. As soon as she felt the sand gently lift her she relaxed however. She didn't know how she could tell, but she could _feel_ that the sand meant her no harm.

A moment later she was standing before Gaara and she could only see his outline and seafoam green eyes in the moonlight. She felt safe standing before him but she didn't know why. She felt his arm wrap around her waist and pull her close and she sighed as his mouth pressed into hers. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered what she was getting herself into, but the thought was soon forgotten as she felt him deepen the kiss.

"_Oh I could get use to this"_ she though as she nestled into his body and let him kiss her senseless.

**A/N: What did you think? Hope you like the direction the story is going in. Don't worry there will be smut, but first we have to have them court each other. :) Don't forget to review! **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Gaara had decided that he would never feel this way again. He was so happy that he could actually smile. A real, unpracticed, smile. He knew that his new found happiness had everything to do with the pink haired woman who was curled up next to him on the roof of Kazekage tower. He had always wanted someone to look at him with happiness in their eyes. His brother and sister loved him, of that he was sure, but it didn't feel the same. He knew Sakura didn't love him, but she could see in the green eyes looking up at him that she cared for him. Gaara thought over his life and remembered the horrible things he had experienced, but he would do it all over again just for this night. _"What in the world am I going to do? I can't keep her here forever, but I don't want to give up any time with her either." _Gaara could feel panic slowly making its way into his mind. He was racing for something to say to her to make her know how much she meant to him. That she was changing him for the better, but he heard her speak first.

"Gaara, I don't know what's going on with us, but I think we should just be friends and see where it goes from there." She looked at him with determination in her eyes. Everyone around her knew that she was once head over heals in love with Sasuke Uchiha, but she would not make the mistakes of her past again. She knew already that the feelings that she had for Gaara were different than what she had once felt for Sasuke, but that only made her more determined not to screw things up. She had a bad habit of falling hard and way to fast and she would make sure she didn't ruin her chances with the handsome Kazekage.

At first her words stung him. _"She thinks this is a mistake. Her words mean that she wants to let me down easy." _Then he happened to look again into her jade eyes. _"Perhaps she is as scared as I am."_ That thought was quickly reiterated as the woman before him reached up and cupped her hand to his pale cheek.

Gaara was still unsure about people touching him, most especially his face, but as he felt her cool hand cup his cheek he felt like he could trust her. He sighed into her hand and allowed her to continue touching his face. A chunk of the hardened shell surrounding his heart broke away and disappeared at her ministrations.

Sakura slowly moved her hand around the contours of his face. Careful not to make sudden movements. It was a well-known fact that Gaara didn't like to be touched. She slowed down even more when her thumb grazed his bottom lip. She felt his hiss and started to back away. Suddenly his hand was wrapped around her wrist keeping it in place.

Gaara felt like his heart stopped when her hand touched his mouth. He was absently aware of gutteral sounds that were emanating from somewhere in the back of his throat. The next second he felt her pull away and he couldn't help himself. He grabbed her wrist to prevent it from leaving his lips. Then he looked her straight in the eyes, turned her hand over and brushed a soft kiss along the pulse at her wrist.

Sakura was almost certain that she had just died and gone to heaven. "_How in the world could anyone effect me like this with a simple kiss?"_ Suddenly she felt a jolt of raw energy phase through her body and settle in the pit of her stomach.

Gaara saw how he affected her and found that it was more gratifying than many of the sexual experiences that he had had in the past. _"How is it that this one woman can so thoroughly turn me on without even attempting to do so?" _Remembering her words he decided to end whatever was going on between them before he did something that would in no way be considered 'taking it slow'. Standing up slow enough so as not to startle her he bowed and placed a chaste kiss on her furrowed brow. "Goodnight Sakura" With that he was gone.

Sakura stared for several minutes in the direction of where Gaara had taken his leave. "Shit, I am in love with the Kazekage." Sakura had never been less happy in her life.

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update. For some reason my computer had to be completely reformatted in order for my writing program to work. Shouldn't be a problem in the future and the updates should be quicker.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sakura groaned into her pillow. She had finally made it back to her room and thrown herself haphazardly on the bed in her distress. _"What the hell am I going to do?"_ Sakura wondered at her awful taste in men. First she had loved a man who refused to love her in return. Then she had fallen in love with a man who she was pretty sure wouldn't know what love was if it bit him on the nose. _"Whelp that's it. I officially suck."_

Gaara stepped out of the shower and decided that he could not recall having had a batter day in his entire life. He felt like the soft lips of the woman with pink hair represented a lifetime of repressed feelings. She was beautiful, there was no denying that, but it was more than that. For the first time in his short life he felt like he could actually find peace. He knew what he was, what he had overcome and until the kunoichi had reentered his life he thought he would be suffering for his past for the rest of his life.

He thought about it more closely and realized that of all the people who he knew this woman might have more reason than most to hate him. When they had been just children he had almost crushed her to death with the power of his sand. Would have without batting an eyelash had her friends not saved her in time. The thought that he had almost taken such beauty out of the world make him momentarily sick. Even after his failed attempt to kill her she didn't hate him. She had almost killed herself saving his brother from the brink of death at the hands of the poison that had been dealt by Sasori of the Red Sands. Then again she had nearly died herself after being stabbed by Sasori as she fought to rescue his body. And without her efforts Chiyo would not have been able to resurrect him. She owed him nothing, in fact he owed her a great deal if it came down to it, but she had kissed him with such tender lips that he thought he might get lost in the depth of their warmth.

This woman was slowly bringing light into his darkened world and he wanted to show his thanks in any way he could. Smiling to himself he went about his plan to 'court' the pink haired kunoichi.

Sakura awoke and moaned out loud. She could smell something coming from the kitchen and it smelled like it had been cooking for far too long. She could smell a hint of smoke and wondered if there was a fire. Hurrying from the bed she strode through the hall, past the common room and into the kitchen. She was fairly sure that she was still dreaming since never in a million years would she have predicted what awaited her. Gaara stood at the stove which was actually on fire.

Gaara had never cooked in his life and apparently that was a good thing. He had no idea what to do in case of a grease fire so purely out of shock he tossed the flaming pan into the sink full of water. BAD MOVE. The fire spread over the entire surface of water and shot up towards the ceiling. Instinct kicking in he shot his sand out at the flame and managed to smother the rapidly growing fire. He heard a giggle and turned around sharply. To his horror Sakura stood there looking absolutely beautiful trying her hardest to prevent herself from laughing out loud at the Kazekage.

"Gaara, what are you doing?" Sakura had to bite her lip sharply to prevent the chuckle from escaping her lips.

Gaara wished deeply at that moment that he could melt into the floor boards like his sand. "Well, I was attempting to make you breakfast in bed, but as you can plainly see I failed to do so."

Sakura couldn't help but smile. He was absolutely adorable with the distressed look on his face. If she had a camera she would have taken a picture. "I see, what exactly were you trying to cook?"

With a sour expression still on his face he looked up at her. "Tamagoyaki, obviously I have never cooked this before, or anything else to be honest"

"Oh Gaara that is so _sweet_! I could teach you if you would like?" Sakura had always hidden the fact that she was an excellent cook from her teammates. She had already felt weak compared to them since she came from a civilian family, so she tended to shy away from showing her domestic side.

"Well that would negate the purpose of breakfast in bed if you were to cook it yourself. Unfortunately there is little else in the way of choices at this point." Gaara practically grumbled out.

"Did you know that you are incredibly adorable when you are grumpy?" Sakura practically laughed at his reaction to her words.

"I am Gaara of the Desert, I am the Kazekage of Suna, I am most assuredly not _cute._" Gaara couldn't help but return her smile when she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

After she had shown him the proper way to make the breakfast he had attempted she led him into her bed room and made room on her bed for them both to sit while they ate. They talked about everything while they ate. All of the things that had happened since the last time Sakura was in Suna. Gaara surprised Sakura by telling her that the elders had been trying to get him to marry for the last year. They wanted him to marry a kunoichi from Mist to try and solidify a tenous treaty between the two nations. Gaara had done a good job so far of redirecting their attention elsewhere.

"I had never been interested in marriage." Gaara blushed as he realized that he had used the past tense of the word subconsciously.

Sakura did not miss the word 'had' or the blush that it had caused, but she decided not to pry.

After their breakfast was done Gaara offered to clean up so that she could take a quick shower before she had to head into work. She smiled at him and kissed him on the forehead before heading into the bathroom. _"Perhaps this could work out." _ She thought to herself as she stepped into the spray of the warm shower.

Sakura had always sung in the shower. Everyday she would sing her heart out and pretend that she was giving the performance of her life. Today was no different. She had never thought that she had been any good but that didn't stop her from singing to her shower-head like her life depended on it.

Gaara had just finished the dishes and went to see if Sakura was done in her shower. When he slowly opened her door he froze in his tracks. Sakura was singing in the shower, and she was absolutely amazing. Her voice was like velvet and the song she sang seemed eerily familiar. For some reason he couldn't fathom silent tears began to run down his cheeks.

Temari saw her brother frozen in the doorway to Sakura's room and decided to investigate. When she reached his side she heard the song coming from the shower. Sakura's voice was truly magnificent, but what made her pause was the song itself. She immediately recognized it. It was her mothers favorite song. She had sung it to Kankuro and herself every night when they were children. She would also sing it to the baby who grew in her womb. Temari quickly noticed the tears running down her brothers face and put her hand on his shoulder.

Gaara turned to his sister with a questioning look. He wasn't ashamed that he was crying, but his eyes pleaded for answers as to why. "Temari, why do I know that song? And why am I crying."

"Gaara, I don't know how you could possibly remember, but it.. it was.."

Gaara already knew the answer as he spoke. "Mothers song."

**A/N: Hope you liked this chapter. I tried to make it funny with the courtship, but I didn't want it to be all humor so I ended this chapter on a more serious note. Please review! **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry this took so long. No excuses just sorry! Anyway, more awkward moments to come, enjoy!**

Chapter 7

Sakura stepped out of the shower only to practically collide with the two Sand siblings who were standing now right out side of the bathroom door.

"Sakura, where did you learn that song?" Temari didn't move an inch as she waited for an answer.

"What so- oh, you were listening to me sing in the shower?" When neither sibling answered she continued "It's an old song my grandmother use to sing to me when I was little. She was actually from here you know? She grew up here in Sand and moved to Leaf when she met my grandfather. They were civilians so it wasn't a big deal."

"That would explain it." Temari said with a smile returning to her face.

"Uh, explain what?" Sakura was starting to feel more and more uncomfortable by the second under the scrutinizing gaze of the two.

Temari noticed the change in demeanor of the pink haired woman and took a step back, allowing Sakura to move out of the bathroom. "Well you see, that song you were singing in there was actually written here in Sand. It was... it was my mothers favorite song."

Temari couldn't help the single tear that slid down her face.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't realize." Sakura could see the soft smile Temari was giving her, but at that moment Gaara turned around and walked out without saying a word.

"Sakura don't worry about him. It's a sore subject for all of us, but especially Gaara. Come on, I will walk you to work and tell you about our mom."

Sakura's mind was not on the task at hand and her subordinates noticed, though if anyone knew the reason for her distraction no one said anything. She was ready to be done with the day, but not so eager to face Gaara. _"I understand why he got upset, but I don't understand why he just stormed out without a word."_

She could feel her unease growing as she dismissed the medics. Feeling as if he had messed up something before it even really started she dejectedly reached for her coat.

A forced cough was heard in the doorway and made her turn in attention. There was the man himself standing there looking highly uncomfortable while holding a bundle of flowers.

"Sakura, earlier today I let my emotions get the better of me and I am sorry. You deserved an explanation and I apologize for leaving without walking you to work. I brought you these to convey my deepest regret at my actions."

Sakura looked at the bundle of white flowers. The fact that _white tulips_ were in essence an apology flower, nor the fact that being in the desert she was sure they were not cheap.

"Oh Gaara, it's nothing. I understand and I'm sorry for bringing up memories that you didn't want to think about."

Gaara shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "You're right. I didn't want to think about them, but I'm glad. Maybe someday you could sing me her song whilst not otherwise occupied". A slow blush creeping up his cheeks.

If he had been anyone else she might have thought that the blush was indicative of the fact that he had just alluded to her showering, but since she knew that wasn't his intent she realized that the cause of his embarrassment must be for asking for a favor. The thought made her smile. "How about I try and kill two birds with one stone? Since you said that you still have trouble falling asleep I could try to sing you to sleep?"

Gaara was taken back by her suggestion. _"Why would she care if I get some sleep or not?"_ He steeled his face so that it showed no emotion. "Perhaps."

Sakura once again found herself smiling at him. _"He might be pretty good at masking his face, but he can't hide his eyes."_ She knew that the emotion she saw in his seafoam gaze was gratitude.

"I was also wondering if you would like to accompany me to diner this evening?" Gaara had made reservations at the only 5 star restaurant in Suna in the hopes that they could enjoy a nice meal without the knowing looks of his brother and sister.

Sakura didn't hesitate for a second before linking her arm in his. "Oh that sounds nice. I would love too." She flashed him a warm smile, noticing how she was smiling more than not in his presence lately.

When they made it back to their rooms Gaara turned to Sakura before she opened her door. "Your dress is in your room and there should be several shoes to choose from."

"Huh? Why do I need a dress?" Sakura was more than a little confused. When she packed for her trip she hadn't thought she would need to bring fancy clothes with her.

"I assumed that you wouldn't have brought one so I had one bought for you, along with several shoes to choose from. The place where we will be dining this evening has a dress code."

Sakura could barely contain her excitement. _"He bought me a dress. And shoes! I could definitely get use to this!"_

Gaara was enjoying the happiness that was plain on her face. He realized that he loved her smile. _"I could get use to this."_

Standing on the tips of her toes she kissed him on the cheek before entering the room and closing the door.

Behind him Gaara could hear soft chuckling. "Kankuro, I don't think I have fully paid you back for your little trick. Don't worry, I will". Turning across the hall to his own bedroom door he noticed the look on his brothers face before retreating to his bedroom.

Kankuro stopped mid laugh and his look turned to one of pure horror. Gaara's "pranks" were never something to be happy about.

Kankuro turned to see his sister standing beside him. The next second she was doubled over in laughter. Grumbling he said "Shut up Temari." and left her clutching her stomach trying to ride out the waves of her humor.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When Gaara awoke the next morning he had no idea that it was going to be one of the worst days of his life. The man had died, what could be worse than that?

Dinner last night had been wonderful. Sakura had been stealing glances at her handsome date and blushed every time he noticed. Temari had come and done her make-up and hair and Sakura had felt like a fairy princess, then she had stepped into the little black dress that Gaara had picked for her and felt more like a sexy goddess than she had ever felt in her life.

The walk back to their rooms had been extremely pleasant and they had even held hands. Gaara had been with women before. It was no secret that he had had many lovers, but he had never had a girlfriend. This was all new territory and he was discovering that he liked it very much.

Sakura awoke with a snap to extremely loud voices in the common room - "**WHAT? That cannot be possible"** she recognized the voice as Gaara's and jumped up to investigate.

To say that Gaara was pissed would be an understatement. He was livid. In the middle of his common room stood the three siblings and their old team mentor Baki, and beside the older man stood a small child. She was in rags and looked like she hadn't been fed in days. _"That poor baby"_. She couldn't be more than 3 years old from her size and she looked like she had been badly beaten. Medic instinct kicking in Sakura rushed to the little girl and green chakra hands began glowing as she ran her fingers over the battered body of the girl checking for injuries.

Gaara sucked in a breath at the sight of the pink haired women looking over the child. _His_ child. Baki had just brought the girl in from the hospital. Apparently the little girl and her mother were rushed into the hospital after they had been beaten by some lowlifes. The girls mother was a civilian and her prognosis was grim. As she lay dying she told the nurses that the little girl belonged to the Kazekage and that he should be told.

Baki had been called to the hospital to check into the situation and had nearly fainted at the sight of the little girl. She looked broken and starved, but what was the most surprising about her appearance was her seafoam green eyes and the blood red hair that was peaking out of her hat. Baki immediately picked up the girl and rushed to the Kazekage's living quarters. The three siblings had all been summoned to the common room and were startled to hear the retelling of what happened.

The three siblings had gone into denials, they would surely know if Gaara had fathered a child. They were all stunned to silence when the girls hat had been removed and her hair could be seen. That's when Gaara had started yelling. "**WHAT? That cannot be possible" **Which had woken Sakura and caused her to rush out here.

Looking at the girl now he felt a fury inside him. He had been so surprised at first by her existence that he had missed how badly beaten she looked. Looking at her now with Sakura's chakra illuminating her skin he could see every cut, every bruise and it only furthered his rage. He might not have known that he had fathered a child, but he had always told himself that if he ever had children that he would insure their childhoods were happy unlike his own. This scrap of a child looked like she was starved and beaten repeatedly. If the child's mother hadn't already had died he might have killed her himself just for putting a child through this.

Sakura gasped. This child had been beaten more than some of the ninja patients she had come in after a mission. Honestly it was a wonder she was still standing. Four broken ribs, her left arm was fractured and her right collar bone had been snapped. She looked like a miniature punching bag. "Gaara, this child needs to be laid down immediately. I don't know how she is still standing at all let alone not making a sound but she has several broken ribs, one of her arms is fractured and her collar bone had been snapped."

This had snapped Gaara into action. He knelt by the little girl's side _"my daughter, and I don't even know her name"_ the thought made him a little sick to his stomach. "I am going to pick you up and put you in my bed so this nice doctor can look at you okay?"

The little girl who had almost been in a trance up until this point finally looked up to the man who she had been told was her father. At 5 years old she had seen many things in her life, but looking at this man now she was speechless. Looking at his eyes were like looking in a mirror. Her mother had often told her that she resembled her father, but now she could see that that was an understatement. This man was her carbon copy. She remembered that he had asked her permission to touch her and simply nodded. She winced at little as his hands moved around her.

Sakura rushed off to collect her medical supplies from her room and met Gaara in his after she had what she needed. She bent over to the little girl and noticed her eyes for the first time. _"Those are the same eyes as Gaara's."_ looking over the little girl really for the first time she noticed a lot of things, one of them had been the girls hair. It was the exact same shade as Gaara's. She had his high set cheeks and his low brow ridge.

"Okay sweetheart, I am going to give you a shoot and it is going to help you sleep while I fix you up. When you wake up you might not remember where you are but we will be right here with you okay?" when the girl just nodded Sakura gave her the injection and then turned around to Gaara.

"Gaara how old is she? She looks like she is barely three years old but her bones say she is closer to 6."

Gaara looked stunned. He had no idea how old his child was.

The little girl who was rapidly drifting off to dream land lifted her eyes for a moment. "I am five you know. And my name is Mae." with that she was asleep.

"Gaara. This child is yours isn't she?" Sakura couldn't contain the small amount of her in her voice at her question.

Gaara could tell that Sakura was hurt at the thought of him having a child, he wasn't sure that he understood why she would feel so strongly about it unless her feelings for him went deeper than he had suspected.

"Yes Sakura, she is my daughter."

**A/N: Well hope you enjoyed this chapter and the semi-cliffy that I left it on. When I originally came up with the ideas for this story the child was going to be a boy but then I noticed that most of the stories with children have first born children as boys so I thought I would change it up a bit. Anyway, let me know what you thought!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Alright I felt bad for slacking on the updates lately so I decided to update twice today! Just to clarify some things that might be confusing. Gaara became sexually active shortly after the first chunnin exam. After Naruto knocked some sense into him (literally) Gaara found that killing no longer filled the whole in his life so like many teens he turned to sex to fill that gap. For all intents and purposes Gaara is 23 and Sakura 22 when my story takes place. I know that doesn't exactly match up with the time-line but bear with me. That being said Mae was conceived when Gaara was 17. Mae's mother was a civilian who was in her late 20's, but you will find out more about that later. Anyways, hope you enjoyed that last chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Here you go!**

**Chapter 9**

"Gaara, how can you have a child?" Sakura was almost shaking.

"Sakura I didn't know. Do you think I would have hidden something like this from you? Do you think I would have idly sat by while someone beat my daughter?" Gaara was a little angry at the accusation. He valued Sakura's trust but her words showed that she had doubted him.

"Who was her mother? Did you love her." Sakura wanted to believe that she was the first woman who had ever had the affection of the man she had come to care a great deal about. Her heart was breaking and she wasn't quite sure why. Did she love him? Was that why thinking about him fathering a child with another woman cut her so?

"No Sakura. I don't know who she was but I didn't love her. I was 17 years old and to be honest I was with a lot of women."

Sakura wasn't quite sure how to process that information. Sure she figured that he had been with women before but to have been with so many that you wouldn't know when one of them got pregnant? _"How many women has he been with?" _

Gaara could see the wheels turning in Sakura's head. "A lot Sakura. Not that I'm proud of it, but it's the truth that I had no idea." Gaara could feel his pace quicken. _"Of course she will decided that whatever it is that we have isn't worth all of this." _ Having a child would be a tremendous amount of baggage for her to carry when he didn't even know the extent of their feelings for one another.

"Sakura I understand if your feelings about our relationship have changed. I don't blame you at all, but I have to focus on my daughter and I wont rest until whoever did this to her breathes their last breath. I don't know why this is happening and I'm sorry that you and I never got the chance to see where our attraction took us." He could feel his heart breaking at the thought of letting her go. The one woman who had made him question weather or not he could love someone.

"Gaara I'm not going to lie this is a lot to handle, but what kind of woman would I be if I backed out now? You might not like it, but you need my help. I would be willing to bet you don't know the first thing about children. I don't know what this will mean for our relationship, but I am not leaving you at the first rough patch."

Her words completely stunned him. "Sakura, this is more than a rough patch. This is a child that I am responsible for. I wasn't there for her when she obviously needed me but I wont make that mistake again. Think carefully before you make you decision."

"Gaara do you think I take this lightly? I have made my decision and I am not going anywhere." She turned to look him in the eyes and kissed him solely on the mouth before returning to her work. "Now healing Mae is going to take several hours so I will need you to stay in case I need something."

Sitting down on the couch in his room he smiled at the woman who worked on his child. _My daughter. Mae._ "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

Several hours later Sakura slumped forward and the chakra surrounding her hand flickered out. Gaara reached out for her before her head hit the bed. He picked her up gently and brought her to lay on the couch. He layed her head in his lap and started to stroke her hair. She had used almost all of her chakra to heal Mae and she would probably be sleeping for a long time.

Temari peaked her head in to ask if they needed anything but stopped short when she saw her brother loving caressing Sakura. _"I hope they make it through this. I can't believe Gaara had a child. I am an aunt! Oh man that little girl is going to be spoiled rotten from now on, but if anyone deserves it it's her. I hope Gaara kills whoever did this to her." _

She decided not to bother them. "They sure do look like a family already Kankuro"

"If Sakura doesn't leave him because of this then he should know that she is the one." Kankuro said to his sister.

Temari agreed, but something told her it wouldn't be so simple.

Mae woke up feeling much better than she had in a long time. She didn't hurt much and she felt like she had actually gotten some rest. Living the way she had for the last year or so had meant that more often than not she had slept on the floor. She looked over to the other side of the room and noticed the Kazekage (it was still to odd to think of him as her father) sitting on the couch with the beautiful doctor laying with him. The doctor was asleep. The way the Kazekage was looking at her was the way her mother use to look at her. With love in his eyes as he touched her face while she slept.

"Kazekage-sama is that my new mother?" Mae was not sure how she felt about having a new family, but if the beautiful pink haired doctor was going to be part of it she thought she might like it after all.

"Mae I am your father, you do not have to address me by my title. If calling me father bothers you then you may call me Gaara. This woman's name is Sakura and no she will not be your mother. Her and I care about each other, but our relationship is not like that."

"Are you sure? I can tell you love her by the way you are looking at her." Mae could see the surprise I his eyes and she knew that he was unaware of how he was looking at his companion.

Gaara sat there for a moment and thought back to the last few weeks with Sakura. It was true that he felt things for her that he had never felt before, he had even asked himself if he loved her more than once, but felt that it was too soon to make that assumption. Now he realized that he had fallen in love with her. When he saw her pour all of her chakra into healing his child he had been pushed over the edge and he hadn't even known he was that close. And instead of this news making him happy he felt himself sinking into despair.

He could not have picked a worse time to fall in love, nor with a worse candidate. He was in the middle of some life changing developments and he wasn't sure he would be able to handle that and a budding relationship, not to mention he was sure that she could never feel the same way about him. And to top it all off she only had a few months left before she would return to her home.

This woman who would give every ounce of herself to take away the pain of a child had captured his heart at a time when it was no longer his to give. He had to give it to his daughter.

"I think you might be right, but let keep that between the two of us okay Mae?"

She shook her head. "Gaara, I am hungry." and with that her stomach grumbled loud enough to be heard all the way across the room to where Gaara was sitting.

"All right little one, lets get you some food." He smiled at the child he never knew he had and realized that it might be easy to fall in love after all. _"Very easy indeed."_

**A/N: It took the eyes of a child for Gaara to realize his feelings for Sakura, but with the responsibilities of parenthood will Gaara be able to be with Sakura in the way that they both want? The next chapter will reveal more about Mae's childhood and the reason for her being kept from Gaara.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

A woman stood defiantly beside her small child and looked up to the man who controlled her life.

"I will NOT let you use myself or my daughter to hurt the Kazekage."

The man with cold, golden eyes looked down at his wife "You foolish woman, do you think I allowed you and your bastard to live out of the kindness of my heart? You will do as I say or I will have the girl murdered where she stands."

Taken back at his harsh words she stared blankly. True, her husband had never loved her and had grown to hate her when he had found out that not only had she been unfaithful, but her infidelity had produced a child, but she had never known him to kill an innocent child. Looking up to his eyes however, she knew that he meant it.

"Very well Katsurou, I will do as you wish as long as you spare Mae."

"Oh course, she has a bigger role to play in the end than even you know"

Katsurou looked to his men and nodded. The three men who were guarding him walked over to the two females.

Desperate, the woman looked to her daughter. "Mae, you have to do what Katsurou tells you now. DO you hear me? You must follow ever order he gives you. No matter what happens to me just know that I love you. I will always love you and I will watch over you."

Quickly kissing her daughter on the forehead as silent tears rolled down her face she nodded to the man she knew would be her end.

He looked at her with a knowing smirk "Goodbye Kana, you will not be missed."

Without another word he nodded to his men. He saw fear flash before the little girls eyes before she was struck from behind.

There would be no need for her to see her mother beaten to death. She would play her part regardless.

It was only a matter of time before the elusive Kazekage was drawn out into the open, and then he would take his life just as the ruthless man had taken the life of his father.

"I will avenge you father, and then you will rest in peace."

He looked once more to the guards. "You need to rough the girl up, she will need fresh wounds if the Kazekage is going to be flushed from his hole."

Mae was shaking as she remembered the chilling night that her mother had been torn from her. She knew what her job was. She was to gain her fathers trust and then lure him out to his demise. She had no love for the man who had fathered her since she hadn't even known his name until hours ago, but something didn't feel right.

When Mae looked at Gaara she could see the possibility of what her life could have been like, but she could never forgive him for abandoning her mother.

Mae had never anticipated that someone else would be so close to her father. Everything she had ever been told of the Kazekage made him out to be some evil monster that ruled over Sand with an iron fist and an unyielding will. Never allowing anyone or anything to be close enough to get past his defense.

She hadn't been prepared for the beautiful pink haired woman who was so different from her own mother that it was night and day. Where her mother had been cold and jaded this woman was bright and vibrant.

Mae had never doubted her mothers love for her, but they had learned long ago that showing affection would only get them beat by their oppressor. Whenever Mae had been beaten and her mother had tried to soothe her aches she had been beaten again along with her mother.

Mae might have been only 5 years old but she probably had more broken, reset bones in her body than most gennin level shinobi.

Mae had been informally trained to become a kunoichi since she was 3 years old. She had been made to fight children twice or three times her age and was never shown leniency.

She was probably now at Chunnin level or perhaps higher. She had killed before and she knew that she would be made to do so again.

When she was told by Katsurou that her _father_ was a monster she had had to hold back a smirk. Was that not exactly what they had trained her to become.

Mae was not stupid, she knew that she very well might die to complete her mission. The irony that the man who had fathered her would likely be the one to kill her in the end was not lost on her. If only she could trust in him enough to reveal her mission and ask for his assistance to take down her tormentor, but she had never met a shinobi alive who could stand up to Katsurou's justsu.

If she could not trust Gaara to help her defeat Katsurou then she could at least hope that when he found out of her betrayal he killed her swiftly and put her out of her misery.

With much more world-weariness than any 5 year old should ever have to muster she pulled the covers back over herself. Snuggling into the bed once more she thought about the man who had the same eyes as her. The chill of fear and regret gripping her heart she whispered to no one in particular.

"...forgive me father."

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed that bit of insight into Mae's past. There will be more to come soon. **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hope none of you are too pissed by the last update! I promise there will be more fluff coming, but I had to set the story of Mae up.**

Chapter 11

Sakura stepped quietly out onto the roof where she knew Gaara would be. It was well past the time when most people slept so she was sure she would find him out here. After today's events there was no way the man would find any sleep.

Gaara turned in time to see Sakura step out on the roof to join him. Smiling softly he spoke. "You should be sleeping."

"I know, but I couldn't sleep without checking on you." She walked to him and stood close.

Gaara noticed that she did not touch him. Pain welled up in his chest to think that he might have lost her completely. He had not realized how much he had grown to love her soft touches. She was one of the only people who dared to do so and it stopped him in his tracks more than once.

"I am... coping" was all he said before he felt the tremendous urge to touch her face. He stopped himself.

Sakura noticed that he stopped short before his fingers met her face. Inwardly chuckling at his trepidation she closed the distance between the two of them. Wrapping her arms around his waist she pulled him to her. "I told you I wasn't giving up on us."

Gaara stiffened at the contact. He was so sure that she would want nothing to with him after the events of the day.

Sakura felt him stiffen and a horrified blush donned her cheeks. She hadn't thought about the possibility that Gaara would no longer want to continue their relationship. She was so embarrassed that she almost tripped as she moved backwards.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Kazekage-sama.. I just assumed that.. well never mind. I apologize". She felt tears stinging her eyes. She had lost the man who she had come to realize she loved. Still, she could not feel bitter because she knew that Mae needed him.

Gaara had been so surprised by her sudden removal from himself that he almost missed that he had never reacted when she had held him. Cursing himself for a fool he reached out to her and pulled her back to him. Now that he understood that she still wanted to be with him he felt a smirk cross his lips.

Tilting her face up to him with one finger he looked deeply into her eyes. He could see that she was crying. Why would she be so affected by his perceived refusal of her affections? Could it be that she loved him the same way that he had realized that he loved her? He felt his heart swell at the possibility, but quickly stamped it out.

Of course she didn't love him. It was just the stress of the day that had finally gotten the better of her. _"How could someone like her love someone like me. I might not be the monster I was but I am far to tainted for the like of her. She is light where I am dark."_

Gaara did something that surprised the both of them. He leaned down to her face whispering against her cheek, "So beautiful".

Then he brushed his lips up her cheek and kissed the trail her tears had made. He kissed away all of the tears on one side of her face before moving to the other side.

Sakura was stunned by the display of affection, she could feel her heart pumping fast and hard against her chest. She thought she might have stopped breathing when she felt him kiss his way around her face.

Gaara had just finished kissing away her tears but he could not bring himself to stop. He kissed her nose next, then her forehead before kissing the corner of her mouth.

Sakura didn't need anymore encouragement than that. Lacing her fingers through his hair she pulled him roughly to her mouth.

Gaara felt himself growl against her lips as he felt her tongue slid behind his teeth. Her mouth was bliss and he never wanted it to end.

Sakura found herself in the arms of the Kazekage bridal style as he carried her to her bedroom. She wrapped her arms around his neck tight. Sakura was a strong shinobi and one of the worlds strongest kunoichi, but having this mans gently carry her made her feel delicate. It was completely a foreign feeling but not at all unwelcome.

Gaara didn't think he had ever been this excited in his life, or this aroused. He nearly broke down her door trying to get it open in his haste and had barely set her on the bed before he smashed his mouth back into hers.

Sakura undid the ties of her robe and opened it up so Gaara had better access. She was so glad she wasn't wearing anything under it because the look on Gaara's face when he saw her naked form would be worth any embarrassment she might have felt.

Gaara stood back a second drinking in the sight of her. He had never seen a more beautiful sight in his entire life. Tentatively he reached a hand down to graze her breast. He heard her draw in a breath.

At that moment the sand that he had placed on Mae began to stir. He knew she was awake and she was moving around the room, probably looking for him.

He cursed his poor luck and kissed Sakura once more.

"It's Mae, I have to go. I'm sorry."

Sakura couldn't hide the disappointment on her features, but she knew he had to go to his daughter. "Oh of course Gaara." She gave him a smile.

Gaara looked down at her again and had to force himself from touching her more, "We will finish this, I assure you".

With that he was gone. Sakura groaned allowed and had to force herself from cursing. She giggled to herself, "I can't wait".


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**A/N: First off I would like to say that I am really sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. Life just kind of happened and then when I finally got down to writing this I had to rewrite the little lime like 7 times before I was okay with it. Oh yeah, there is some steamy bits in this chapter so if that isn't your bad then sorry.**

"What are you doing out of bed at this time of night little one?"

Mae almost jumped back she was so surprised to see the Kazekage standing on the windowsill of the bedroom she was in.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Well that much is obvious, what is not is the reason you couldn't sleep." Gaara smirked over as the girl was holding her hands together trying not to look embarrassed at being caught out of bed, but failing miserably.

"I had a nightmare. Sometimes when I have them I wake up and it's hard for me to fall back asleep." Mae was hoping to hide that fact from him but since he now knew she figured she could use it to her advantage. She was suppose to be getting closer to her target after all.

"Well, would you like to talk about this nightmare? It might make you feel better after all." Gaara thought that that perhaps sounded like something a father would say. He wouldn't know since his father was a ruthless bastard who wanted him dead.

"I don't really want to talk about it, but maybe you could sit in here with me until I fall back asleep?" Mae had never really needed to talk about her nightmares anyway since she usually woke to have another day just like the bad dreams.

"Alright, but in order to fall asleep you should probably return to bed, don't you think?" He winked at her and pulled the covers back on his bed that he had given over to her.

After tucking her in, which was extremely awkward for all parties involved, Gaara crossed the room back to the couch and took a seat.

A small knock on the door revealed an anxious looking Sakura. Who crossed the room to sit next to the Kazekage.

"I just wanted to make sure everything is okay. Is Mae alright?" Sakura felt real concern at the thought that something might be wrong with the little girl. Mae might not be related to her, but she was the daughter of the man she loved and she would protect her with her life.

"She is fine. Nightmare." Gaara could see that Sakura was worried about Mae and he felt his heart swell. He couldn't let it get to him though. He might love Sakura, but his life had just become infinitely more complicated than it was yesterday.

"I will just go back to my room then. Goodnight Gaara." With that she slid over and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek.

"Goodnight Mae, sweet dreams." Sakura smiled at the little girl as she turned and left.

"Goodnight miss Haruno." Mae gave a genuine smile at the pink haired woman as she exited the room.

"...Go to sleep Mae." Gaara nearly chuckled as he spoke to his daughter.

"_Wow, I am a father. What am I going to do with a child? It's not as if I had the most positive parental role model."_

He shifted uncomfortably on the couch at the thought. His own father had hated him from the moment he was born. Not only had his birth been the reason his mother had died, but he had been forced to carry a demon from the moment he took his first breath. Never mind that his _Father_ had been the one responsible for that, Gaara had been hated by the man none the less.

He would do better. He had absolutely no idea how he would accomplish this, but he vowed he would do better by the child than his father had done by him _"Not that that would be particularly hard."  
_

Sakura couldn't hide the smile that lit her face. Pushing aside the disappointment at being interrupted she couldn't help but fall more in love with the man the longer she saw him with Mae.

Sakura had never wanted children if she was entirely honest with herself. She was a kunoichi and that life didn't always mix well with motherhood, but seeing Gaara around Mae was bringing to live something deep in her heart that she wasn't even aware of. Something primal that made him down right sexy to her.

Shaking the thought away she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth before bed. Glancing at the mirror she saw that her lips were still a bit swollen from being kissed and that made her ridiculously happy.

Crawling under the covers in her bed she sighed deeply as she drifted off to sleep.

_Gaara had her pushed against a wall and was ravaging her lips while his hands worked their way up and down her body. Her breathing was shallow as his fingers danced upon the exposed skin just above her skirt._

_He stifled a moan with a kiss as she arched her back so that she could bring her body flush with his own._

_Sakura could feel the heat that had started slowly building below her navel head further down to her apex._

_Just then she heard a tearing sound and looked down to see that Gaara had ripped open her blouse and bindings. Her breast were bared for him to see and her nipples were proudly at attention without even being touched._

"_So beautiful my love" she heard him whisper onto her skin._

_She felt his tongue start at the juncture of her neck and he trailed down to circle a nipple. _

_She cried out his name and heard a deep growl coming from the man before her._

_He circled her breast with his tongue once more before putting his mouth over her nipple and tugging. _

_She whimpered. Slightly embarrassed at the noise that she was making she could feel a heated blush creep up on her skin. _

_She felt him pull off her skirt and panties and could feel the liquid practically dripping from herself. _

_Gaara dropped to his knees in front of her. He looked up at her and smirked. _

_Putting his nose at her most intimate place he smelled her. Breathing in deeply before pulling back._

"_Such a sweet smell my blossom, and it's all mine."_

_She could see him bending back to her and she knew what he was about to do. She shivered in anticipation. _

Sakura awoke with a start. He ninja reflexes kicking into gear she had pulled out the kunai hidden under her pillow and was already in attack mode when she heard a soft knock on her door.

Mae stepped in and Sakura felt herself relaxing.

"Miss Haruno, Kazekage has asked that you meet him in the common room as soon as possible."

Sakura smiled at the young girl. "Thank you Mae. I will just hop in the shower really fast and be out in a few minutes."

Mae left without a word and Sakura sank back on the bed with a plop.

She could not believe that she had actually had a wet dream. The last time something like that had happened was when she was much younger, and the man she had dreamed about then was certainly not the brooding Kazekage. Though now that she though about it Sasuke did do a lot of brooding.

She slipped in the shower wondering at her strange taste in men.


End file.
